Blood and Snow
by Lellida
Summary: My retelling of the "Snow White and Rose Red" fairytale.(complete)


_Everyone knows the story of Snow White, but there is another fairytale involving her that is called _Snow White and Rose Red_. In most depictions, they are sisters, and things turn out happily for them. In my version, they are lovers. Yes, this is female slash, or "squish" as someone has told me. I am experimenting with different styles of writing, so I hope no one is offended. This isn't even close to my best work, so I apologize in advance if something seems awkward or just plain crappy._  
  
She was night as I was day. I was fire and she was ice. I laughed heartily and loud, she giggled softly and silently. I was wild and free, she was tame. We were Snow White and Rose Red. Like the twin rosebushes growing in front of our villa, we were both of the same soul, the same energy. Often, Snow white would playfully braid our hair together, insisting that the twisted strands resembled blood splattered snow. I would pretend to be insulted by this, and she would laugh and tickle me on the nose.  
  
I loved her and she loved me. When we kissed, our love sang, true and sweet, innocent and pure. We loved each other, and always would, for eternity.  
  
Or so I believed.   
  
I always loathed winter, but I had reason to hate this one even more. I remember it being bitterly cold, so that one could not even go outside for five minutes without coming in rosy and bitten by the frost. We had just put a fire on and were roasting the last of the fall apples over it. Snow White was chiding me gently for hating the cold (she had loved it since the dawn of time), when there came a knock on the door. I got up to go lift the latch, and screamed.   
  
There, in the door, stood one of the largest black bears I had ever seen. I staggered backward as Snow White came running to see what was wrong. She stood, frozen like ice, as the great hulking beast rose on it's hind legs. Then it did the most remarkable thing. It spoke.  
  
"Please, may I stay here? Until the storm is over at least."  
  
Well, Snow White and I did eventually get over our shock and invited the bear in. He ended up staying the whole winter. Snow White took a liking to him immediately. She would often spend hours teasing him, laughing as she poked him gently with a stick. Once she smacked him on the rump a little too hard, and he cried out in a mocking tone.   
  
"Snow White! Tell her Rose Red! She must not beat her wooer dead!"  
  
I would shrug, smile, and go about my work, pretending not to care. Inside, however, I burned with jealousy to see my love laughing with another. Once, I joined in on their fun, and poked the great bear lightly with a stick too. He whipped around and snarled at me in a way that still chills my bones when I think of it. After that, I watched from afar, warily. When the cold winter wind howled at night, those two, my Snow White and that bear, would fall asleep together on the hearth; her head resting on his shaggy side. I lay alone in our bed, shivering and wishing for my love to come rest by my side. But she never did.   
  
I welcomed spring that year as I never had before. Now I could be rid of that wretched beast and his leering eye. Snow White was obviously sad to see him go. She bade him a tearful farewell as I sat in next to the hearth, staring numbly at the cold ashes. Finally she came over and crouched next to me. I turned my head away and bit off the hateful words that formed in my mouth.   
  
"Well, that was a fun winter." The angelic demon stated. I tried to nod, failed, and succumbed to silent tears. Snow White looked alarmed. I drew in a shuddery breath as her pale arm laced it's way across my shoulder. "What is it?" she whispered.   
  
"I was afraid you were leaving me." I whispered.  
  
Snow White looked shocked, then slowly she began to understand. She took my hand and looked me straight in the eye. "I will never leave you. Ever." she said to me. Then she kissed me gently. I clung to her feebly, hoping that her words were sealed into promises now.   
  
The warm spring weather soon whisked away my worries, and Snow White and I enjoyed the feeling of new grass between our toes and warm sun against our skin. We would go out every day to trim the roses, then explore the woods and have picnics. Our laughter bubbled through the trees, as joyous as spring itself. One day however, the sound of our voices was interrupted by a scream.   
  
As Snow White and I quickly rose from our lunch, another scream was heard. "It's coming from the river!" I shouted. We ran off towards it's direction as a third scream resonated, this time with a bit of cursing.   
  
We finally reached the water's edge, panting. There, just a little ways off, was the cause of all the screaming. It was a dwarf, his beard tangled in his fishing line. There was a large fish on the other end, threatening to pull the poor man in. He just kept screaming and screaming as he edged closer and closer to the bank.   
  
Snow White and I ran to him. As she held him steady and calmed him down with soft words, I tried to untangle his beard from the line. The two seemed to just melt into each other, so I whipped out the knife I used at our picnic and cut him free. Snow White and the man tumbled backwards as the fish gave a final lurch and dove back beneath the surface.   
  
As Snow White struggled to her feet, the little man jumped to his with a look of indignation. Suddenly he spied me and his look changed to one of fear and sadness. "You shouldn't have helped me." he whispered sadly; quiet enough so that I was the only one to hear it. Then he turned to Snow White. "You dolts! Look what you've done to my beard! I should have let the fish get me!" he screamed angrily. Snow White and I exchanged confused glances as the dwarf scurried off angrily. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reach into a tree stump and pull out a bag of pearls, as white as my Snow White's skin.   
  
That night, when we came home to sleep, Snow White shivered and shook with cold. I lit a fire, heaped blankets upon her, held her in my arms, but even my passionate embrace did not melt the chill from her bones.   
  
After a sleepless night, morning finally came. Yawning, I stumbled out of bed to make us a pot of porridge. As I stirred the cereal glumly, a pale arm snaked around my neck and pulled me towards it's owner. I grinned, and turned to receive a kiss from Snow White's red lips. Suddenly, a scream interrupted our passion. It sounded very familiar to the one we had heard yesterday. Snow White and I looked at each other, and took off running towards the field, where another scream was heard.   
  
"Where is he?" I said, panting. We had just reached the edge of the field and the screaming had stopped. Snow White scanned across the ocean of golden grasses. She pointed to a hawk circling in the sky, getting ready to make a dive.  
  
"There"  
  
Snow White and I reached the poor dwarf just after the hawk had descended on him. His foot was caught under a log, pinning him down as he desperately tried to fend off the large bird. His long beard was keeping the hawk from getting to flesh, but he needed help. As I desperately tried to frighten the hawk away, Snow White pulled the log off his foot.   
  
I had managed to get the hawk back in the air, but he wouldn't let go of the man's beard. Once again, I took my knife to the hair; letting the hawk fly away with pale white streamers trailing behind it. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned to face the scene behind me, and was once again met with that look of sadness. "Please, don't help me ever again." the dwarf whispered, his eyes tearing up. Then he collected himself, and screamed at us again for ruining his beard. Poor Snow White felt so terrible that she started crying. As I rushed over to comfort her, I notice the dwarf stealing away with a bag of gold, as sun-ripened as Snow White's hair.   
  
That night, as we tried to sleep, Snow White cried out in feverish pain and was doused in sweat. I was up for hours running to the river to get ice-cold water to sooth her, but it did no good. Her fever raged all night.   
  
The next morning rose with out us. In fact, it was midday before one of us even stirred. Yawning, I turned to get out of bed, then sank back down with a groan. Snow White, knowing what was wrong, immediately reached over to massage the sore muscles on my back. I smiled inwardly and fell backwards onto her. Snow White squealed in impish indignity.  
  
"Get off of me!" she yelled, her voice muffled by a pillow. I laughed and proceeded to tickle her feet. She screamed louder and squirmed. Finally she couldn't take anymore. "What do you want?" she gasped out. I grinned evilly.  
  
"Just a kiss."  
  
Snow White gave an offended huff. "Well fine, if that's all you want." she said slyly. Then she pounced on my, covering me with kisses as I protested, laughing.   
  
After a few minutes of playful tousling and a few more kisses, Snow White and I finally managed to fall out of bed, laughing hysterically. I sighed happily as Snow White finished up her giggling.   
  
"I love you." I breathed quietly  
  
Snow White smiled. "I love you too."  
  
That day we decided to go swimming in the river to extinguish any remaining fever flames Snow White would still have. We had just gotten out to enjoy our lunch when loud cursing could be heard downstream. Snow White and I looked at each other and groaned together. Then we stood up and headed downstream.   
  
Sure enough, the little dwarf greeted us with a string of obscenities when we arrived. This time, his beard was caught the crevice of a rock. I advanced forward, pulling out my knife. As I bent down to cut him free, his voice came to my ears.  
  
"Don't do this. You will lose her forever."  
  
His words caused me to jolt up, but it was too late; he was free. The man just stood there, shaking his head sadly. Before I could figure out what he was talking about, he sprinted away. Trailing behind him was a bag filled with sapphires as blue as Snow White's eyes. I stood there, blinking, as he left. Snow White's gentle touch brought me back. I shook my head to clear away the confusion.   
  
"Let's finish eating."  
  
Snow White and I decided to sleep under the stars that night. Snow White cried and screamed in her sleep, and none of my coaxing would wake her. For fear that wild animals would come to investigate, I finally lifted her in my arms and trudged home in the dark. Snow White slept fitfully in our bed, as did I. The little dwarf kept haunting my dreams, looking at me sorrowfully and chanting.  
  
"It is done. It is complete. She is no longer yours."  
  
When I finally awoke with a gasp, my body shaking and sweaty, the first rays of dawn were just beginning to emerge. Looking over at Snow White, I noted with relief that her night terrors were gone, and she slept peacefully. Leaving her there, I softly got dressed and went outside to collect clovers for tea   
  
I fully expected to see our little dwarf friend as I went out, but he was no where in sight. In fact, we didn't see him again for another week. That was when it all fell apart.   
  
I remember that day being breezy and warm. Snow White and I were out for a walk. I held a bouquet of roses that I had picked from the bushes in front of our house, and Snow White held a basket of petals that she threw around gayly. We were having a grand time, when shuffling and cursing could be heard behind the trees next to us. Snow White and I looked at each other, and decided to investigate. It was, after all, our forest.   
  
As we rounded the corner, I had to bite back a gasp of amazement. There sat our friend, the dwarf, amidst a pile of precious gems, muttering to himself. As we leaned in for a closer look, Snow White's foot fell upon a twig, snapping it. The dwarf whirled around to face us.   
  
"What are you doing here?! Get out!" he hissed, fear laced in his voice. I gave him a glare and started to speak, when I heard a rustling from the other side of the glen. Eyes wide with fear, Snow White, the trembling dwarf and I all watched as a huge hulking shape appeared. It was that cursed black bear that had spent the winter with us.   
  
As the beast reared up on his hind legs, the dwarf let out a strangled cry and began screaming in a shaking voice. "It's done I tell you! The spell is complete! She's all yours! Let me go! PLEASE!!! Let me-"  
  
But that was all he managed to get out before the bear raised a massive paw and knocked him to the ground. Snow White and I stared, horrified, as the bleeding man gave one gasp, two, and then lay deathly still. Slowly we started to back away, when the bear did the most surprising thing.  
  
First, he shook all over. Then a great white light seemed to come from within his skin. As it grew brighter and brighter, the bear skin fell away. As the light then grew dim, there stood a handsome prince, his light brown hair blowing gently in the breeze. He grinned that lustful grin I came to dread on the bear, and crooked his finger.   
  
"Come." he said smoothly.  
  
I sneered at the monster and clutched Snow White's arm. "Get away from us." I hissed. "We know who you really are." The prince just gave a smug smile and pointed to Snow White. Suddenly, I could feel my grip on her loosen as she involuntarily walked towards him with a wail of despair. I found myself rooted to the spot, to surprised to move, as Snow White walked over and laced an arm around him shoulder with a look of pain.  
  
It was when the prince turned and gave her a kiss that I snapped out of my trance. Yelling obscenities, I raced at them. The prince looked at me disdainfully and stepped out of my way as I lunged for Snow White. My hand hit only air. Whirling around, I came face to face with a laughing prince, holding unto my love as she wept.   
  
"Stupid girl" he said, scorn dripping from every word, "Don't you know you gave up all ties to her? Every time you cut his beard?" he motioned to the lifeless body next to us. "She is mine now, just as these other gems are. You will never get her back. The spell is complete."  
  
I didn't understand what he meant by spell. I just knew that Snow White whimpered and pleaded with her eyes to come save her. I took a final lunge before I fell to the ground, red hot tears of frustration threatening to show. The prince, seeing my fit was over, picking up Snow White and began walking away with her. He roughly pried the basket of petals from her cold hands and threw them at me.  
  
"A consolation, wench."  
  
I watched them go, watched Snow White cry and she was born away to some unhappy castle life forever. Then I wept. My vision was blurred by tears. The red and white rose petals blended to together, like blood-spattered snow, my only memory of my love for Snow White... 


End file.
